Team Kakashi
by Lady Evelynn
Summary: AU. When seventeen year old Haruno Sakura receives a concert ticket from an anonymous letter she decides to check into it. Fortunately for her, it's a front row ticket for her favorite band: Team Kakashi. The catch? R&R.
1. A Fortune… of Misfortune

**Team Kakashi**

_By: Lady Evelynn_

A/N: It's my first Naruto fic, so be easy with me! This story is a complete AU even though there are many elements of the original Naruto—such as jutsos and such! This story is a very dark theme, even though it seems very light at first. You've been forewarned.

**All Standard Disclaimers Apply****:**_ I own nothing but the plot! Naruto everything is the belongings of Masashi Kishimoto. So don't think about nagging to me about what and what doesn't belong to me._

* * *

**Chapter 1**: _A Fortune. . . of Misfortune._

"Sakura-chan,"

At the soft voice, greens eyes revealed themselves. Slowly, they found the source of the voice and emitted a questioning gaze.

"Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama called. You're on duty,"

Though spoken in a soft tone, the young woman's words snapped the green eyed maiden out of her sleep instantly.

"Neh?" Sakura yelled, waking up in an instant. "How long was I out for?" She sat up quickly, blood rushed to her head but she ignored it, and pulled her legs out from under a thin layer of cloth throwing it over the side of the couch. "I'm on duty tonight? I should have known, this whole week has been hectic— everyday, every night, every second. I barely any time for school, too," Sakura complained grumpily. Bringing her pale, thin arms up to her uncanny colored hair she brushed her fingers through a section of pink. She then sighed deeply, mentally preparing herself for another chaotic night.

"Just like her too, so unpredictable," Sakura laughed, shaking her head in disagreement.

"Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama said it was an emergency," The young woman standing before her reminded.

Sakura blinked a few times then looked up to her friend. "'An emergency'?" It wasn't a question, just more of a clarification to herself. The other girl nodded in reply. Sakura growled, now psychically getting herself psyched up, and then with lighting speed, changed into her medical attire, which were always near her person encase of emergencies and late notices like this one. Sakura waved off to her roommate, thanking her in a hurried fashion.

"Sakura-chan, be careful," Hinata smiled, her smile hinted with worry. Sakura smiled bravely back.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the big ol' boogieman won't come and get me around this time of night. I mean it's after three in the morning, even the monsters need sleep," She laughed, reassuring she'd be fine. With those confident words, Hinata smiled truly and then waved Sakura off. "Ja!" Sakura said before slamming the door.

"Sayonara," Hinata whispered.

Seventeen year old, Haruno Sakura; grade twelve and enough knowledge to surpass a sophomore in college, make that a super senior in college. The unusual pink hair of this girl isn't the only thing that makes her stand out among the rest of the Konoha crowd, but also her alluring, sharp green eyes. Her dream is to become a great doctor and to achieve her life goal as a hardworking—

"Why I outta kick that Tenten right where it hurts! If only she didn't break my pager and then _fix_ it… it wouldn't have been broken beyond repair!" Sakura yelled in frustration, racing through the empty streets of her hometown. Sakura could sense that the moon was still up, though barely; it was too early to be called on an emergency call, being that she still is a student. But nonetheless Sakura was loyal to her cause, or her ambition, to become a renowned doctor.

As the young woman ran down on the sidewalks of Konoha, she envisioned herself as a mature woman, like her sensei, with an entourage of many willing students with starry eyes.

'_I wonder what Tsunade-sensei is dealing with right now. She is an excellent medic, yes, but why would she need me? I'm just an apprentice, wait! Not even that, I'm just her extra pair of arms, only noticed because these extra pair of arms needs a good grade in class and can give her a break. Even if I do seem promising, I still lack credentials to even become a nurse,_'

Lost in thought, she didn't notice the object in front of her, making her slam her body fully into the barricade. Feeling pain erupting throughout her body, she snapped instantly out of her daze enough to quickly peeled herself off. With enough experience, her mind registered she had collided with a very strong body.

Body?

Blinking in realization, Sakura snapped her head up to apologize but stopped immediately when she saw _what_ she bumped into.

"Huh?" Sakura breathed.

The person was covered from neck to ankle in a black cloak decorated with red clouds. The person's face was obscured by the collar of the cloak and a straw hat which deflated any hopes of identifying him. But even in the dark of night, Sakura could make out his eyes. They were deep red, like the blood she sees on a regular basis from the hospital's patients. Also in his piercing eyes, something was amiss. His pupils were flaked with some sort of design. To be exact, four evenly distributed comma-like figures circled his pupils. And she got that all in a millisecond.

Sakura blushed, feeling that she had stared too long into this mysterious stranger's eyes. "I-I'm sorry, please forgive me," Sakura then, without looking back, rushed off after giving a curt bow. Scolding herself, Sakura dismissed the occurrence and ran even faster to the hospital.

'_An emergency, huh?_'

* * *

[[Flashback]]

"_Girl! Girl! You there, with the pink hair! I see an aura around you! No more hiding behind that façade of yours anymore!" A woman yelled out in the street._

_Sakura turned around to find an old woman pointing at her standing behind a table, located in an alleyway. The sign below it, Sakura noticed, read 'Fortunes, Fortunes, Fortunes!' followed directly by a smaller print below it reading 'at cheap prices too.'_

_Sakura laughed at the sign then continued walking. She never really bothered with that rubbish. She made her own decisions in life, and she suffers through her own consequences. _

'_**What an idiot… fortunes, blah**__!' Sakura thought. She had been on her way to Tsunade's Hospital from School. It wasn't a long walk and she had time to spare._

_Sakura felt a threatening presence behind her and quickly turned around. The woman was right beside her now and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll only take a few minutes,"_

"_Wha—? How'd you do that?"_

"_Tsunade's apprentice, huh? Not as promising on the outside,"_

_Sakura twitched, physically restraining herself from making a huge decision that might came back to haunt her. She was close to pummeling the old woman though. Disappearing from her vision, Sakura's attention went back to the shabby stand the older woman made her business at. She was there, in her chair again, and expectantly waiting for Sakura to follow._

"_What?" Sakura asked, irritation evidence in her voice. "I have to meet—"_

"_I know," Sakura made her way towards the old woman, not wanting to cause a huge scene, "extend your hand please," The old woman said._

_Sakura complied, thought reluctantly, she just wanted to get this whole thing done with._

"_Why, my child! You are a lucky one at that? Expect a lot of fortunes!" At her words, Sakura smiled._

"_Really?" Even though she disliked all the fortune telling rubbish, it didn't mean she didn't like being told good things._

"_Hm. Your love life… not so bright, but if you try hard enough, you might succeed to have many affairs,"_

"_What? But a woman's life is just all about love! Not withstanding honor and dignity, and besting those cheap bastards who get all the glory in the end," Sakura growled. "Other than that… my love life? Please, more," Sakura, all hyped up, demanded loudly._

"_Why, I'm an old woman and I am of need of a little—"_

"_Rip off," Sakura muttered taking her hand back and turning away._

"_Be careful of shadows. If you stay in the dark too long, the one you love won't be there to save you anymore…" Was her last warning, the old woman then began to call over some random people again leaving Sakura in a wondered state._

[[End Flashback]]_  
_

* * *

Finally reaching the hospital in record breaking time, Sakura hurriedly entered the emergency elevator and pressed the button for the designated floor. Tapping her toe lightly out of impatience, the green eyed beauty's mind started to drift off about the stranger she bumped into early on. From what she made out of him, he seemed quite attractive. Tall, enigmatic, strong, "No," She stopped, biting her lip from keeping herself drooling over nothing, "I'm on a mission to be on a mission: to finally be recognized," Sakura smiled, dismissing her trailing thoughts.

Inside, she was burning with excitement. "**HELL YEAH!**" Her mind screamed, eager to accomplish her goals.

With that out of her system, or rather echoing throughout her head, the elevator reached its destination and Sakura ran out with renewed strength. "Tenten," Sakura called out hurriedly.

A girl with odango's in her hair standing behind a receptionist desk, lifted her head and waved. "Sakura-chan," She greeted.

Getting to the point, Sakura asked, "How long?"

"Fifteen, you better hurry,"

Nodding, Sakura rushed though the opened glass doors followed by a yell from Tenten which sounded like 'Five Twenty-Two.' With a nod, Sakura power walked to the room and frowned. Blood was everywhere, nurses were around but Tsunade wasn't in sight.

"Sakura-chan, hurry, Tsunade called you here on emergency! This boy is going to die!"

A boy? With determination on her face, Sakura grabbed clean gloves and placed them on her hands. No child on her watch was going to die.

Sakura began to analyze the situation. She couldn't tell what his hair color was or how old he was, except for the fact he seemed like an young man than a boy, only that it was a now or never chance at saving his life. He was a bloody mess, he had many cuts and some were beyond deep. Whatever happened, he was lucky to survive. She'd have to stitch him up and give him blood. With that, Sakura grabbed the nearest utensil readied for her and began to work. '_N__ot on my watch_' She replied silently, concentrating on procedures that were elementary to her.

Truth be told, she could become a doctor is Tsunade deemed it so. She had that much experience, and her accelerated learning ability greatly allowed her to reduce the years that it took others to become a full-fledged doctor. She knew almost everything, and she had a lot of practice on the field, even down to leading in surgeries when Tsunade was out. When on the job, Sakura was serious; she was unstoppable.

When she was about finished with the procedure, a woman entered the room and pushed Sakura aside. It was Tsunade; she had returned to take over. Sakura bowed politely in her presence, and overlooked as she finished up.

The woman was tall, had sandy blonde hair and was strikingly beautiful. The older woman held a needle in her hands and injected the young man with it. Being a professional, everything came natural to her, so she didn't have to think twice about what she was doing. Sakura admired her and watched her as she worked on the patient.

A glowing light appear before her sensei's hands after she disposed of the injector, and with a few hand movements, the light evaporated into him. It appeared Tsunade gave the patient some energy, in order to handle the shot she had just injected into him. In effect, the beeping sounds of the room slowed in pace and the patient was now relaxed. The worst was over. Tsunade motioned Sakura towards her.

"Thank you. Hold him here," Tsunade requested, her voice unaffected by nervousness. Sakura nodded and Tsunade left, followed by the herd of nurses. Sakura let out a soft sigh and the frowned disapointedly.

"I wasn't much aide at all…" Sakura replied, to no one. A stir came from the young man and Sakura unglued her eyes from the, now, closed doors and watched as the patient awakened. "It's okay," Sakura smiled. "You're in good hands,"

"I-Itachi…" He murmured.

'_Itachi? Weasel?_' Sakura thought, confused by his muttering.

"Spell… Seal… Release," They were vague words, but Sakura knew what he meant. With gentleness, Sakura took one of his bloodied hands and placed his middle and ring finger to apply pressure on the spot Tsunade told her to hold. He complied, and daringly didn't show any sort of pain on his face. Sakura withdrew her hands and clasped them together. Furring her eyebrows, Sakura positioned her hands in into many hand symbols and placed her index and middle finger onto his neck, below the place she was ordered to apply pressure.

His facial expression relaxed and he was able to breathe deeply, though a bit shallow still.

'_A seal? On this young man? Who is he? Itachi?_' Sakura questioned. '_Tsunade only taught a few of her students _that _medical remedy, but I never knew I would ever need any use of it, I was the only one to actually get is down… I wonder if Tsunade knew_'

"Girl," He spoke again, clearly now.

"Shh, you need your rest," Sakura smiled. At her tone, he did not look amused, though his eyes were still closed.

"There's a kunai stuck on my right side, I would appreciate it if you would kindly take it out," His voice was awful commanding for a person who almost died. Sakura, albeit taken aback at his attitude, complied and lifted up the patient's shirt.

She removed the poor excuse of a shirt, which had been tattered and beyond repair due to the surgery and whatever had happened to him and began to scan for the item stuck within his body. Tracing her fingers down his side, she felt many bones out of place—they'd have to be fixed once he regained consciousness and got enough blood in his system—but for now she'd have to find that penetrating object. It was odd, a kunai was a weapon used in assassination, for by assassins. Ws he a target, she couldn't help but think.

"Ah, found it," Sakura grinned, looping her finger around the deeply set weapon. To think no one had found this on him and removed it sooner. Sakura felt him tense slightly, "Ready? Now," She slid it out, being careful not to tear anymore tissue than was necessary. He relaxed afterwards. It was amazing he'd regained consciousness this early.

Looking at him one more time, she then brought the weapon closely to her face and examined it with curiosity. There seemed to be indentations along on side of the kunai. She walked over to the sink curiously and began to scrub off the kunai. After scrubbing it, she brought it once more to her face:

'Game Over' it read.

Sakura dropped the weapon and looked in horror at the unconscious man. '_Someone was trying to kill him!_'' The revelation finally sunk in.

'**WELL DUH! Didn't you see all the other signs?**' She argued with herself. Of course, there were signs. The kunai must have been poisoned, Tsunade must have known this, she needed the medicine, that was why she called Sakura so she could release the spell and fix him up, giving her enough time to get the antidote. It all connected.

'_Itachi_'

Sakura backed away from the unconscious man and swallowed slightly. She had a feeling that she was going to be caught all up in the middle of something big; and it wasn't good.


	2. Ino: Childhood Friend… and Enemy

**Team Kakashi**

_By: Lady Evelynn_

**All standard disclaimers apply**: _I do not own Naruto. But the plot is mind; however twisted._

* * *

**Chapter 2**: _Ino: Childhood Friend. . . and Enemy._

Sakura was exhausted by the time she reached the apartment. "Hinata-chan," She called out after opening the door with much effort. "Uh. Damn these uneven hours," Sakura sighed, her stomach growling in agreement.

Brushing her fingers through her long, unkempt hair, Sakura trudged to the kitchen and placed all of her belongings down onto the counter. "Hinata-chan?" Sakura called again, now in a hoarse whisper, looking around for the female in question. '_And to think we were supposed to have breakfast if I came home early enough before her shift started._'

It appeared Hinata wasn't at home after all, to the disappointment of her stomach. She'd have to fix a quick something, or go get some fast food; whichever would take less time. Dejectedly, Sakura made her way to her room, which was labeled as such on the door: 'Haruno Sakura.' After opening it, the sight of her bed alone made her legs waver in strength. She could already imagine dreaming of fluffy clouds and recognition in high places.

Sakura eagerly ran to her bed and belly flopped onto it in greeting. The bed greeted her back happily, almost hugging her. Sighing in relief, Sakura stayed sprawled on her front side for awhile, thinking about the previous events of the morning.

It had been hours after the surgery, and Sakura had yet to report to Tsunade, at least about the Kunai and the message. What was she supposed to tell her? She knew she should be honest with her boss, but for some reason Sakura thought involving her would be threatening to her life. It didn't settle well, so she kept her mouth shut. If you don't acknowledge it, it can't hurt you… can it?

Sakura was busy writing up medical reports and reviewing other material at the time. The x-rays had come in during the previous hours and Sakura had already placed each bone back into place according to the chart. The nurses bandaged and casted him up afterwards, and Sakura once again checked over everything to make sure she didn't miss anything. She was always thorough. But when _it_ happened, she was completely baffled. Not even an hour after she fixed him up, he should have been unconscious and unable to move, and yet he was gone! Zip. No trail of blood or witnesses.

Even the kunai she removed from his body was taken with him, and she stored that in her locker! The question was how the heck did he do that? It wasn't normal…

"Itachi," Sakura whispered, remembering her patient muttering about a weasel. What did it mean? Was it something involving his predicament? The curiosity to know drove her to the brink of insanity with overwhelming questions she had no hope in answering. Soon she would only know him by that word. _He_ became 'Itachi,' her mind reasoned. And deep inside, past the barriers of her inhibitions, she wanted to solve the mystery of this man.

Something abruptly tore her attention from her thoughts. It vaguely caught her eye, as she was staring in its general direction but wasn't paying much attention to any details. A shadow, something humanoid; it was outside her window, across the way, on the nearby tree that blocked most of the view from her apartment window.

Pushing herself off the bed hastily, almost losing her balance, she made her way to the window and squinted. By the time she was close enough, the shadow was no more. Sakura caught her breath and looked around frantically.

'_Calm yourself, Haruno. It could've been a bird! Don't jump to conclusions because you got freaked out at work, and are sleep deprived. Yeah! Blame it on the lack of sleep. It was just a bird_,'

That got her to breathe again. She let out a weak laugh and walked back to her bed, this time sitting on the edge. "Well since I'm up…"

"I really have to talk to Tsunade-sensei about the whole hours' thing. Two years and I still don't have a proper time schedule. It's cutting into my school _and_ personal life." She spoke to herself to take her mind off things, calming her erratic heartbeat, while rummaging through her dresser by the foot of her bed. She purposely chose something attractive, though it didn't take much to accentuate what Sakura had to offer. She just needed something to boost her problem area.

Sakura unconsciously looked down to her breasts. She knew of no natural way to remedy that just yet. In her hands was a pair of leggings, a red dress shirt, and a pink mini-skirt. It was simple; nothing too fancy for a Sunday.

She then made her way to the bathroom to dress up. By the time she was done drying her hair and combing it until it was perfect, an hour had passed.

Today was to be a productive day: grocery shopping, finish up homework, visit the girls at the bar, and come home to relax until Tsunade pages her again. A fulfilling day. She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.

Just then the phone rang.

"Wait!" Sakura yelled, perturbed by the annoying noise. Though she couldn't stop the phone ringing with just word, "Hina—oh, I'm supposed to get it," Sakura sweat dropped and ran towards the phone. Seeing that it was not on the receiver made her growl in anger, why did the phone have to be so annoying. "Where are you?" Sakura yelled. "If only Hinata-chan were here; she has a keen sense of knowing where everything is!" She complained as she climbed all over the living room trying to deduce where the origin of the ringing led to.

After three more rings, the answering machine started:

_'Hey you've reached Haruno Sakura and _Hyuuga Hinata_. Sorry we're not here right now, call back! And if it's Tenten you better buy me a new pager!'_

A beep followed after, then nothing. With a heavy sigh, Sakura fell back onto the couch that was in the living room and shook her head. She had stressed about nothing, and there wasn't even a message. It mustn't have been an important call. She'll find the phone later, or ask Hinata to search for it.

She began to make her way to the door, grabbing her bags which were by the kitchen, when a loud noise interrupted her process.

"HARUNO!"

If that didn't give her a heart attack, she didn't want to know what could. Sakura yelped, jumping in surprise and looking at the message machine. The voice was familiar.

Of course! She was supposed to pick up Ino at the bus station today. '_Dummy!_' Sakura thought, hitting herself softly on the head in reprimand. Checking the time, it was way past the arrival time that Ino told her. She couldn't completely blame herself though, Ino did warn her she was coming on short notice.

Glancing once more at the answering machine, Sakura waited a second to see if anything else was to be said, then after hearing naught, she left to do the errands for today. Ino would contact her, if she got lost. Or so she vaguely hoped.

Ino and her weren't on talking terms, actually their relationship used to be classified as something as best friends, and now they were long lost awkward acquaintances, at best. She honestly didn't know how her reaction would be when she reunited with Ino. All Sakura knew is she held a lot of pent-up animosity towards her.

As Sakura made her way through the day, crossing out errand after errand, her mind kept on drifting back to Ino and that mysterious man. When she should've been concentrating on what was going on in her life, she just couldn't help but redirect her thoughts. It's been almost a decade since she laid eyes on Ino. Was she okay? Did she mature more than her? Did she miss Konoha? Did she miss Sakura?

And that young man; how was it possible he could just disappear without a trace? She vaguely hoped she could see him again to see if he was okay. She technically wasn't supposed to get attached to anyone, so Tsunada-sama taught her, but she was drawn to this particular patient's case somehow. And how the heck did he manage to find the kunai? Sakura gritted her teeth and readjusted the groceries she was carrying so they wouldn't fall.

It annoyed her— not being about to comprehend what was going on. She never had to use the release technique before until this "case". It was almost unnecessary for other patients to need such critical treatment. It is true Konoha provided the best hospitals in the nation— and also the best medical schooling— it was also true that transfers from other hospitals were frequent due to Konoha's hospital more modern facilities. But never to the extent where one would need to be released.

Sakura halted, her groceries wobbling a little in her hands. Balancing them, she looked around. She was getting paranoid. What is the guy from the hospital was out there and was going to kill her? Sakura shut her green eyes tightly, praying silently.

"I gotta get my mind off this! Otherwise I might just accidently kill myself with all this worrying," Sakura muttered. Opening her eyes, she saw she was near the place Hinata worked. "Perfect," the pink haired woman whispered thankfully. Being around familiar company will calm her nerves.

The place Hinata worked at wasn't a dinky little place most teenagers their age would work at; it was a gentleman's club. A high class one at that—known as 'Konoha's Best' to the customers. How Hinata got the job, Sakura was baffled. But she paid the bills on time, and still had a lot of money left over. What she did with the money, Sakura didn't know either.

When she reached 'Konoha's Best,' Sakura pushed open the dark tinted glass doors with her buttocks and entered. It was dim lighted, as to be expected, and filled with the smell of smoke. It wasn't really that attractive, hence the tinted glass, Sakura thought silently.

"Neh! Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked around, spotting for the person who called her name. It was Tenten.

Due to the fact Sakura couldn't wave back, Sakura nodded and made her way to the woman. "Is Hinata working now?"

"Yeah," Tenten nodded, drink in hand. She was sitting on a stool around a lone table in the corner. This seemed the best area to avoid 'customers' and the strong smell of smoke.

When Sakura reached the woman, she dropped her groceries by the end of the corner, praying that the food wouldn't soil (she'd have to wash the fruits and vegetables when she got back), and sat down adjacent to Tenten. Sakura slouched against the stool and leaned her head on the table.

"Aw, what is it Sakura?"

"Today… has been so stressful… thanks to you,"

"Um, what did I do?" Tenten asked, raising a brow.

"Well for starters, the pager you fixed is totally crapping out on me still," Sakura grumbled, perking her head up to stare directly into Tenten's Asiatic brown eyes. Tenten, in return, gave Sakura a sheepish grin. "And the rest is history," Sakura sighed again and laid her head down in defeat.

"If you'd like, I can fix it again," Tenten grinned, pulling out a miniature screwdriver that happened to be in one of her pockets. Tenten always carried around random "weapons." It was odd, but a likeable trait, especially if you're in need of a certain item. Tenten was sure to have it. However, don't let her try and fix it. She was more skilled with throwing her "weapons" at a target than using them for what they were properly used for.

"No thanks!" Sakura laughed.

"Oh! There's Hinata now,"

At that Sakura shifted her head so she could see where Tenten was motioning at, and then shifted her head towards the direction. It wasn't a shock seeing how drastic Hinata changed when she was in her work environment. As opposed to her wardrobe at their apartment, which consisted of sweaters and long baggy pants, Hinata wore quite revealing clothing here. But it wasn't a shock after you get used to it. Sakura smiled, but then noticed she was with "customer."

Once Hinata spotted the two she politely waved towards them. The customer turned around too. Though he had shiny white hair, he didn't seem old when he looked in their direction. Quite the opposite, he looked…

Sakura snapped out of her daze once they started heading their way. Rubbing her drool off her face, she perked up and offered a smile. When they reached close enough distance for Sakura to notice details, she saw the man had covered his face with a scarf. Does he really not like the smell of smoke? She couldn't blame him.

"Hello, Sakura, Tenten," each giving them a nod, "This is Hatake-sama,"

Sakura grinned, offering her hand to his already outstretched one. Tenten just smiled in regard. Sakura never seen him at the club before. Was he new? Was he even a _customer_? Did he work here now as a part-time bartender? Sakura grinned to herself, maybe she'd spend more time here if so. "Kobanwa. I'm Haruno Sakura,"

"Saku…ra," He said slowly, like he was testing it on his tongue and lips. "Well, ladies, I was just asking Hinata-san for directions to the Adult Book Store," he said; Sakura could imagine him smiling childishly under the cover of his scarf. His voice, however, was deep and mature, and was very handsome sounding. But when the meaning of the words sunk in, they completely ruined the heavenly image she saw. Sakura blinked and withdrew her hand. "It seems Hinata-san doesn't know, so we were wondering if you two ladies might,"

Tenten laughed, and leaned more over on the table. "Sure," She said lightly. "I'm Tenten by the way,"

While Tenten was giving directions, who knew she would be into those types of things Sakura thought, Sakura was watching the stranger with keen interest. He was tall, handsome from what she could make out of his face, and part of his hair was covering one of his eyes. The visible one was dark, and very mysterious. Overall, this man was mysterious.

If he wasn't such a perve Sakura might've made a move. Not that she was ever the bold one, but the haunting words of the fortune teller did remind her to take iniative. She needs a damn love life anyways— if Tsunade-sensei would allow Sakura to fit it in her schedule. Sakura sighed, knowing that'll never happen.

The stranger left, waving farewell to the girls, and they were then by their selves.

"And to think he had potential," Sakura smiled lightly, sighing in a dreamy tone. She then started to laugh, which made the other girls laugh alongside her. "Neh, Hina-chan,"

"Mm?" Hinata asked, bringing her laughter to a halt. Shyly she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Do you remember me saying that an old friend of mine was going to stay with us for a little while?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded. "Well, I kinda forgot to pick her up. So she might be coming late. I already SMSed her the address encase she forgot to print out direction. And thank you for cleaning the apartment," Cleaning was never one of Sakura's fortes. Only because Sakura was never home to begin with. "Speaking of which, the phone got lost again,"

Hinata smiled. "I'll find it when I get off work," Hinata's lilac eyes then trailed to the grocery bags, "I see you already shopped. Thanks,"

"Yeah, I'm cooking tonight, remember?" Sakura grinned.

"Uh-oh," Tenten interjected. Sakura shifted her attention to the brunette beside her.

"Eh? What does that mean?"

"Nothing, nothing~" Tenten replied in sing-song.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe. Does the Ram want to lose again?" Tenten winked, fingering the small screwdriver she pulled out before. Sakura pursed her lips.

"That's cheating. You won last time. I say this time no weapons,"

"Then I forfeit," Tenten closed her eyes, raising her hands in defeat.

"Cheap," Sakura laughed. Hinata laughed as well, she always enjoyed their little banter when they were together.

"Oh! I have to get back to work. Don't wait up on me, Sakura-chan, I'll be home as early as possible," And like that Hinata quietly left.

"Well I was just here for a free drink, complements of Hina-chan," Tenten winked, tilting her almost finished beverage towards the girl in question. "But now I have to get back to work. Being a receptionist is really hard,"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Try working directly underneath your employer,"

"And about the pager, just ask Shizune-san for another one. I'm sure she won't mind. Ja."

Once Tenten left her pays and was out of sight, Sakura began to move when a voice interrupted her: "Oi, pretty girl with the pink hair,"

Sakura turned around and raised her brow to the owner of the voice. It was a young voice; too young to fit in the likes of this place. "Hai?" Sakura asked wearily. When she was faced with spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes, her eyes relaxed. He looked about her age. Still what was he doing in a place like this? Were the bouncers on break today?

"Have you seen a tall guy with silver hair pass through here?"

The young man's voice was kinda scratchy, like he has been yelling a lot throughout his life. It sounded in all honesty, a step up from puberty stage. If slightly. "No," Sakura said, thoughts of the previous male her friends and herself encountered moments ago.

"He tends to cover his face, and is a pervert. He might've been asking where the nearest porn shop was,"

Oh, him. "Yeah, I remember now. He went down that way, you can't miss the shop. It has tainted windows like these to keep the kids from peeping,"

Oblivious to what she meant, the young male nodded in gratitude and waved a farewell, "Thanks, cutie," He grinned, and left.

Hinata, off on the other end of the club serving drinks, tilted her head at Sakura and Sakura shrugged in return. She was meeting too many weird people today. Perhaps it was time to go home and relax, while making food for the guest tonight.

Sakura left "Konoha's Best," and traversed slowly to the apartment complex. It wasn't a long walk, but it wasn't worth the fare of the buses either. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly almost missed the sound of her voice being called.

Sakura halted, making sure the groceries were balanced by her abrupt stop and searched around. When she was about to become doubtful, she heard it again.

"Over here, forehead,"

Sakura furrowed her brows and turned around only to meet with blonde hair and pale blue eyes, almost like it was déjà vu. "You don't look different, besides the fact that your grew your hair out,"

"Ino-chan?"

"The very same. I, of course, had definitely changed," Ino had the nerve to pose in the middle of the sidewalk, amongst a small crowd, drawing attention to her. "Miss me?" She winked, before closing the distance. "Oh god, you smell of smoke. Pick up a dirty habit while I was away?"

Sakura scoffed, "Not likely. Compared to you, you shouldn't have anything to say,"

Ino brushed off the comment. "Nothing much has changed since I've last been here. How about you show me around the neighborhood though?" Taking note of the groceries in her arms, she added, "After you put away those first. Meet me in the regular spot," Ino then disappeared in the crowd.

To say it was shocking to see her childhood friend again was an understatement. It was still Ino, but something was off. Sakura shook her head and continued on her way towards the apartment complex. It's been years since they last seen each other; many things could've happened during those years.

She dropped off the groceries, and then made her way quickly to the designated meeting spot. Ino was already there. Ino grew up so much, Sakura noted, enviously, while she remained in her preadolescent figure.

"Hey boar," Sakura waved. Ino turned around and smiled. The spot they met up at was at the outskirts of Konoha's metropolitan area. Konoha was decorated with beautiful trees and always had the best fall season. Where Konoha seemed most natural was in this area, where there lacked buildings and such urban things. One could call this their national park.

This was also where Ino and Sakura saw each other last, those ten years ago.

Ino was taller than Sakura now; her hair was also longer, sported in a high pony tail. One of her eyes was covered, though, from a frontal bang hanging loosely down her face. She also had curves.

"I have a gift for you, Sakura," She smiled, holding something behind her back.

Curiously, Sakura made her way more into the open field leading towards a woods that surrounded the area. Stopping upfront of Ino, she said: "How thoughtful of you. I might reconsider making you sleep in the guestroom then,"

"Why would I expect anything less from a kind friend such as you? Here," Ino presented a flower in her hand, "May this flower bless you. Beauty,"

"And what do you mean by that?" Obviously getting the hint, Sakura scowled.

"Don't be such a sourpuss. Come on, take it," Ino offered a genuine smile, and Sakura couldn't help but comply. Taking the white flower, Sakura wearily eyed it, "It's an Orchid," the blonde added.

"Thanks. Unfortunately I have nothing to give to you, save the spare room in the apartment," Sakura smirked, holding on loosely to the gift. Ino smiled back, their humor was bitter—they were not off to a great start of a reunion. Sakura then added softly, "So Ino, why are you back all of a sudden?"

Ino paused and looked down. It was sudden question, but it was bound to be asked sometime. When Ino's eyes reconnected with Sakura's, they were clouded. Probably running through many emotions, as Sakura was feeling now. "To make amends, of course. I mean, I just left you one night and never came back. I finally found you again and found a good reason to come back,"

Sakura thought over Ino's reply; it seemed plausible, but something was amiss. However, she'd take that answer for now. She will again later.

Ino then spoke again, in a more cheerful manner: "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go. It took me awhile to find you in the first place, but in the end your oversized forehead led me to you. Hah. Though, is there a bar around here? I'm parched,"

Sakura coughed. Ino was drinking already? Ino was only 17, barely months older than Sakura. "Ino-pig-chan, you're not allowed to drink yet!"

Ino smirked smugly. It was always so fun messing around with Sakura's mind—especially now since it's been a long time since she had the chance to. She was making up for lost time, and also she really was parched. "Have you ever heard of a fake ID? Gosh, Sakura-_chan,_ you really need to get out more. I'm sure you've been wasting away your life with school and studies for the past decade without me to inspire you to get out of your little bubble. But no worries, Ino-_chan_ is here for you,"

Sakura turned away. Ino hit right on her sensitive spot; but it was all Tsunade's fault, wasn't it? And even if Sakura did get a Fake ID, she'd never pull off as a mature woman with her figure. Sakura shook her head, "Whatever Ino. There's one on the strip you met me at. Just get to the apartment by dinner time, by then I should have already fixed up something,"

"Oh! You're going to cook for me?" Ino grinned over Sakura's shoulder, now leaning on her back. "How sweet. Need anything while I'm out?"

Sakura paused then shook her head, and then began to move, causing Ino to let go of her. "Sayanaro, Ino-baka-chan,"

"Ja, forehead," Ino winked.

* * *

When Sakura got home she put the "Beauty" flower into a cup, filled it with water and placed it on the kitchen counter. Going over the things that needed to be done in her mind, she then put away the groceries in a timely manner and made her way to the living room; more so, to the inviting couch. The pink haired beauty was beyond exhausted. The day did _not_ go right for her, and to top off this lovely Sunday (which was, by the way, supposed to be her day off) she had to cook. _Cook!_

Sakura was no culinary expert; the best she could do to impress someone was to make simple sushi dishes and rice balls. Sighing heavily, she debated quickly in her head a solution for her problem. She had already put up all the groceries in their proper places, and to get them all out and prepare them, then to prepare the table was too much effort.

Hell, it seemed like she was suffering from schizophrenia, with all the hallucinations she's been having recently. Sakura rubbed her head to relax the pain. Something was _physically_ hurting it, she realized after, and felt around in between the cushions. "Ah, ha," Sakura mumbled. It was the phone.

Sakura eyed the time on the screen. It was almost seven. Hinata got off work around 8, and Ino would probably be in around that time. In her current condition, Sakura couldn't move fast enough to have food ready by then. She'd have to call in a favor.

Dialing, she prayed silently that that lazy bastard would finally owe up to his debt, and in a timely manner.

After the conversation, she put the phone down on the nearby counter and stood up. Only then her eyes connected with that one something she realized she forgot earlier on in the day. Her pager. "Shit!" She rushed over to it and clicked it. She didn't miss any calls. Good.

"Uh, I can't believe I forgot to bring that crappy pager,"

Placing it on her mini-skirt, encase another emergency was to be had, she began to walk away to prepare the dinner table. Though due to her sleepy condition, her hip accidently grazed the edge of the table and knocked something over.

"Crap. What now?" She growled and bent over to see an empty picture frame. "Oh, Hinata's," Apparently it was empty for a reason. Hinata never showed her the picture. Actually, Hinata never had anything family related decorating the apartment. Even her room looked a little too plain. Compared to Hinata, Sakura looked a little self-absorbed.

The young woman shook her head and placed the picture frame on top of the table and continued at what she was doing. "Right. Time to 'prepare' the food,"

* * *

"Oh wow! Something smells delicious!" It was Ino's voice.

"Welcome to our humble abode. I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting here," Sakura replied, setting out the last of the dishes onto the dining table.

"Of course not. I grew up here, remember? Also, Hinata and I walked together from the bar,"

Just then Hinata emerged through the entrance and waved politely. "Hey Hina-chan," Sakura replied in a sweet manner, earning a brow raise from Ino.

"So," Ino continued, kicking her shoes off and dropping her belongings off to the side of the door, "where am I sleeping tonight? This doesn't look too befitting for three people,"

"It's a two bedroom, one bath, with a spare dinky room to store extras in, apartment," Sakura answered after she finished arranging all the food.

"Before I show you around, let's eat. I'm sure everyone is starved," She grinned.

They all gathered around the table, kneeling and grabbing their chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" They all said in unison.

"This is good, Sakura-san," Hinata said after finishing the first dumpling. Ino nodded eagerly in agreement. Sakura hid a grin and nodded.

Ino rose a brow as she reached for more toppings to add in her rice bowl, catching the grin Sakura made, "Almost too good," She added, causing Sakura to smile back tensely.

"Come on, give me credit,"

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Ino winked, and then shifted her eyes to the trash can making Sakura's eyes follow.

Drat. She'd been caught. "Right. I asked a favor from Shikamaru, who works at the Restaurant nearby. He owed me one, and I was dead tired. It was asking a lot from me that I organized the dinner table," Sakura laughed, plopping a bit of sushi in her mouth. "Mmmm. And he does make such good food for being such a lazy ass,"

Hinata laughed knowingly. She knew him from school, though they never talked. Sakura and him once had a class once and had to work on a project. She did all the work, he complained through the whole thing. And she told him, more so threatened him, that he owed her big time. Least to say, they became friendly acquaintances from then on.

Hinata only knew him through Sakura. "We must thank him properly tomorrow,"

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura muffled through her food and waved off that comment. "He owed me. It's about time he paid up,"

Hinata smiled then continued.

After their full course meal, Ino was shown through their apartment and the last place was the spare room.

"And this is where you will stay," Sakura finished. She opened the door and suppressed a grin. With the door fully open, and the light shining in from the hallway, Ino saw… boxes. Boxes piled upon boxes, and junk that couldn't fit anywhere else in the apartment.

"Are you joking with me, Sakura?" Ino growled, dropping her luggage and turning to Sakura angrily. "How hospital you are to an old friend,"

"Well if you would've warned me a little earlier that you were coming back to town, I would've made some initiative to clean out this room,"

Ino shook her head and looked back at the room. There was barely any space for her suit case, much less her whole body. "How rude, Sakura-chan. And I thought staying here would make my stay more enjoyable,"

Sakura waved good night to Ino and made her way to her room. Ino was smart; she could do something about it if she really wanted to. Sakura was not going to waste another moment arguing when she, on the other hand, could be counting sheep.

Sleep. Such an inviting word. The pink haired woman smiled as she laid on her fluffy bed. It was terribly cold in her room. Comfortably so at first. Annoyingly so as the minutes passed.

Was the A/C lowered again? She didn't recalled lowering it, and Ino probably didn't touch it. Hinata might've. A breeze from her window halted her thoughts. So the window was opened. She sighed. More work for her to do before she could finally relax.

"Ugh, can this night get any worse?" She said as she vaguely heard Ino curse in the background.

After closing the window and locking it, she returned to bed. "Sakura-san," Hinata knocked, lightly.

"Hai?"

Hinata opened the door and outstretched her hands. They were holding a tiny box. "It's a package that came in earlier today. I forgot to tell you about it,"

Hinata walked carefully, using the light from the hallway to navigate to Sakura's bedside, and gave her the package. "Sweet dreams, Sakura," She smiled softly and exited the room, closing the door behind. She was so sweet sometimes, Sakura thought absentmindedly. She then returned her eyes to the box beside her bed.

In the darkness she couldn't see a return mail address. Funny. She opened the box, struggling at first to get the tape cut, then proceeded to litter her room with stuffing. '_What type of crap is this? The box is full of nothing!_'

It was when she turned the box over, she saw a piece of paper effortlessly glide down. She threw the box and caught the slip before it fell. When she turned it over she recognized that it was a ticket.

"Team… Kakashi," Sakura read, squinting. "Meh, whatever," She placed it on her nightstand and effortlessly, like the paper drifting, fell asleep. Nothing was going to wake her up until the sun rose; nothing. Not even the words whispered through the wind that seeped through the cracks of her window:

'Game Over'

* * *

A/N: Oooooooooo. Ino's in the picture. What could that bode? And when is the SasuSaku coming? Later. But it'll come. *Grins* Hope you enjoyed this chapter that has been rewritten/edited. Thanks for reading this! And hopefully you'll leave some feedback. MWAH.


	3. A Ticket to Heaven… and Hell

**Team Kakashi**

_By: Lady Evelynn_

_**All standard disclaimers apply**: I do not own Naruto. The characters and all their tragedies belong to_ _Masashi Kishimoto; I am nothing but a lonely fanfiction authoress... who lacks the drive to finish anything! So please... no suing!_

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* * *

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**Chapter 3**: _A Ticket to Heaven... and Hell._

Sakura woke up with a loud sneeze. She had been fighting the urge to wake completely, since her body began shivering, to do anything about the apparent cold. In retaliation to her disobedience, her body jolted her awake and made her eyes open involuntarily directly into the rays of the sun.

Sakura grimaced, instantly covering her head with her duvet. She hated when she woke up like that. It was only after her heart slowed down to its regular pace she realized the sun was too high for it to be the early morning, or the time when she normally woke up for school.

School. That's right! It was Monday morning. Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She didn't get nearly enough sleep to cover up for her lack of sleep she had during the weekend.

Turning towards her nightstand, she checked the time. There was a note.

_'Hope you enjoyed sleeping in, Saku-chan_

_-Ino'_

"That boar! I should've expected much from her since I made her clean up all that rubbish in the spare room last night," Sakura shook her head and removed the sticky note. It was past eight. School starts in less than ten minutes. The pink haired woman groaned. How was she supposed to explain this to her teacher?

"Hinata-chan!" Sakura called out, stumbling out of her bed. She hoped Hinata was there still, and she didn't leave without her. _'Maybe Ino put her up to this too! That conniving bitch,'_

"Hai?" a soft reply came from out her door, seconds after Sakura.

"Oh thank god you're still here. How come you didn't wake me up?"

"Ino told me not to. She said that you were so tired this morning you pushed her away when she tried to wake you up. She left early to sign up for school. They're going to transfer her grades and attendance to her other school in…" Hinata paused a second, "I have breakfast on the counter for you. I'm going to be heading out. I have a lot of studying to do,"

Sakura then heard Hinata's light padding leading out to the door.

She looked back down to the note and smiled softly. '_I take that back, Ino,_' Sakura then prepared herself for another hectic day. What normally took her about two hours to complete, she had to do in less than ten minutes.

Calculating the time it'll take to rush out of the apartment complex to the bus stop, then the ride to school, she finished primping herself up before she came up with a number. Deciding to place her hair in a bun so she didn't have to go about untangling it for half an hour, she rushed out with her regular school attire.

Though technically her school didn't require uniform, Sakura thought it would be proper to wear something uniform everyday- a comfortable and conservative type of clothing. Her idea of a quick change was skirt, leggings and a sweater to top it off. She'd have to arrange a few things once she got to school. She was a great note taker, if her brain didn't already memorize the material. She'd catch up on what she missed.

Sakura smiled to herself as she ran down the stairs and towards the bus stop. She had always been a top student, and is currently the top student in her class. She had never been late, so hopefully her teacher will excuse her absence for the first half hour of class; she was even considered to be a know-it-all, which she prided herself to be.

To top it all off she looked good, too. Though she was concerned with her forehead. She had heard many times that it was too big from other students. Some of her friends told her they were just being jealous, but after hearing it so many times you have to believe it's true. She tried one day wearing a bandanna over it, but the girls still talked.

Sakura crossed her arms over her stomach as she walked into the bus, hunched over. She wouldn't consider herself popular, or even geek standards. She was basically a nobody at school. She was sure Ino would see that too. It was embarrassing, her best friend from her childhood returns and sees that Sakura has surmounted to nothing.

She tried blocking that image from her head: a laughing Ino. But it kept on coming back to her, annoying her pride.

Sakura gritted her teeth. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go to school anymore. But as that thought finished, she noted vaguely the familiar scenery of Konoha's High School Campus came into view.

It was quite large— being that is was in the city of Konoha, and not in the suburbs. So it had to fit hundreds of students. It was considered by others schools, modern and pretty to look at. It was very green, with many trees decorating the fields in haphazard places. So large that many students would study under the trees to wait for classes, and even nap during break times.

Sakura hurried to her section of the school after getting off the bus, marked with large greeting letters: "Welcome to Konoha Secondary School."

It was… awfully rowdy for being 8:52 in the morning. Students should have been in class by now. In the distance she saw a familiar figure. It was Hinata, alone and under a tree, studying, as she said she was.

Nearby she saw another familiar figure, that of a man lying down under a nearby tree. "Nara Shikamaru!" Sakura called out, avoiding some people who were standing in the middle of the field talking amongst one another.

The body didn't move, but she knew he heard her. When she reached him, his eyes were closed. "Hey!" Sakura said, kicking his side. He then opened his eyes and looked up at Sakura.

"Nice skirt," He said in a dreary tone.

Sakura pulled down her skirt and looked around once more. "Why is everyone meandering about?"

"Didn't you hear, Sakura… it's late start,"

Sakura groaned in response, sinking down onto her knees. She could've slept in. As Shikamaru would say:

"What a drag," he moaned, closing his eyes once more. "They apparently posted on the school website on Sunday, but who checks the websites? Who even knew there was a website?"

"Oh, so these people are the unlucky ones," Sakura mumbled. "Oh, and thanks by the way. The food was delicious. Unfortunately, our gig is up. They knew it wasn't me who prepared the food,"

"You should have known," Shikamaru replied with a suppressed yawn.

They waited in silence a little longer, then Sakura spoke. "So we're all going our separate ways after this semester?"

Shikamaru grunted in response.

"Just promise me... not to lose touch when you're out making a difference in the real world, m'kay?" Sakura smiled softly, a hint of sadness in her tone. "Oh, where's Tenten?"

"In class,"

"...What?"

"Yeah, class B still has regular time, you know?" Shikamaru said in a tone that made Sakura feel as if she was supposed to know this; like it was common knowledge.

**What?** "What?" Sakura whispered, despite the rage building up inside her. "Why didn't you tell me this before hand?"

Shikamaru shrugged and turned over. Sakura sighed and lifted herself up. She was really going to have to do some explaining to do to the teacher now that she was later than necessary. **Damn you, Ino-baka!**

**As she ran through the hallways, searching out for disciplinarians, she caught sound of Ino.**

"What do you mean this isn't school appropriate? Fine, I have a jacket anyways. No need to treat your new students with respect or anything. Not even a welcome. How rude," Ino muttered the last few parts as the door shut from the attendance office. Ino looked up after reading something that was in her hand, and smiled smugly at Sakura. "How'd you like your extra sleep? I told Hinata it was late start today, and to not wake you up,"

"It's late start for class a students apparently, not for my class, Ino," Sakura muttered, slowing her pace down and stopping before Ino.

"Oh. Oops. I thought I was being kind," Ino smirked. Sakura twitch.

**That bitch! She knew I was in Class B, and she still had the nerve to do this!**

"Don't even ask me to help find where your classes are at,"

Ino laughed, studding the paper she held into her shoulder bag. "That's why they invented maps, forehead,"

Sakura tilted her head up, mocking her insult, and continued on. "Run then, little piggy, before you get a detention on your first day for being so late,"

"Heh. what are you talking about. Unlike you, I am in Class A," Ino grinned then walked off into the opposite direction. Before she disappeared, she yelled behind: "See you at lunch!"

* * *

Class was over before it even started, or so that's what Sakura thought. She had already caught up on notes, and she was still knew each question the teacher asked. It was lunch, however, when Sakura felt off her game. She was never really social to start off with. She was more like a loner, preferring to weave in and out of crowds, greet acquaintances, and eat her lunch while she studied. When she arrived in the courtyard, food in hand, she saw a swarm of people in a certain area. Curious, she made her way there only to see it was Ino who had drawn all their attention.

"So there was this one time in my old school..." Ino's hands were all over the place as she described the details, and her smiled was bright and welcoming. Everyone seemed drawn into her world. Even Sakura. The pink haired girl shook her head and walked away. she knew exactly what Ino was doing. She was making her jealous that she can make so many friends in a little amount of time, and Sakura still could sount her acquaintances in both her hands.

"Hmph," Sakura tilted her head off and stalked away. But Ino caught sight of her hair and called to her, stopping her 'epic' story mid-climax.

"Hey pinky!" Ino greeted, smiling. "I want you to join us. We were just talking about the band that's preforming here this weekend,"

Everyone nodded along with Ino, encouraging Sakura to join. Sakura smiled and made her way through the opening of the crowd. '_How nice..._'

"Listen to this," Ino said, taking the headphones from another person's ear and placing it in Sakura's. "They're very famous. And it happens to be that they're touring through here. It's not official yet, of course, but I have my sources. You've heard of them before, right?"

"_This shining city built of gold, a far cry from innocence_

_There's more than meets the eye round here look to the waters of the deep_

_A city of evil_"

Sakura's eyes widened. It was that one band! They had very catchy music. She heard them on the radio sometimes, but never caught the name. "Um, that one band. It's um... I love their music,"

Everyone looked at her expectantly, those of the people left crowding Ino.

"Team Kakashi!" Ino added, raising her brow. "You do know them, right?"

"I've heard of them!" Sakura retorted, taking off the earphones. "So how come you know?"

"When you're this popular everywhere, you have connections, girl," Ino smiled. "You all coming?" Ino asked the rest of the crowd. They all nodded. "Then get your tickets before it's announced that it'll be here!"

"Oh! That's right. I got a ticket yesterday!" Sakura said in a chipper manner.

"Really?" Ino tilted her head. "I got mine as soon as I found out. It's a decent seat, if I do say so myself. This is also another reason why I'm here. This is such a big deal. I mean to see Uzamaki up close and in the flesh. I might die! And Loveless! The backup vocalist and bassist. O, kill me now so I can die and go to heaven with those hotties!"

"Uza... Loveless?" Sakura asked.

"Girl, you and I have to do some major updating in your social networking. These guys, Team Kakashi, are the newest hot topics since... hot topics were invented,"

Sakura smiled sheepishly.

* * *

When Sakura got home, the first thing she did was grab an apple. She didn't each much at lunch, and felt very uncomfortable eating during lectures.

Hinata was already at the apartment, cleaning. She was working on the living room now, dusting and rearranging small things. Sakura waved, her mouth covered by the apple she had just bit into. As she made her way to her room, the doorbell buzzed.

Hinata opened the door. "Sakura, it's Shizune-sama. Please, come in,"

"You are too kind. Ah, Sakura. I heard that you broke your pager. Tsunade-sama couldn't get a hold of you on Saturday, so she called your household for the emergency. We will have to dock the broken pager off your next pay. In the meantime, here is another one," Shizune presented a more modern version of the pager Sakura had, and Sakura took it eagerly. "Return the old one when you get called in next. Oh, and expect a call soon. Tsunade-sama is very swamped with paperwork this evening and will need your help,"

Shizune, who was secondarily in charge next to Head Doctor Tsunade-sensei, bowed politely and left.

After Hinata closed the door, Sakura grinned and lifted up the new device, "YEAH! A new pager!"

* * *

When Sakura finally got called in, after she squeezed in a light nap, she ran through the hall still excited.

"Hey! No running!" It was Tenten, at the reception desk, glasses on and looking very professional, "Pink? Sakura-chan?" Tenten blinked.

"I got a new pager! And you're not laying a finger on it this time!" Sakura grinned, after poking her head out from around the corner so Tenten could see her.

"Congratulations," Tenten smiled.

When Sakura reach her designated level, she began to walk out when she stopped at what her eyes landed on. It was... that one man. He was back! "Hey!" Sakura called out, ready to attend if necessary. He ignore her though, walking down the hall at amazing speed.

_Itachi..._

"Itachi!" She called out, hoping that would stop him. He momentarily paused and looked back. But because he was so far away she couldn't see if he was doing well or not. With renewed hope, she began chasing the patient, when all of a sudden he disappeared. **What?**

She shook her head. She couldn't blame her visions on sleep deficiency this time; she took a short nap before she was called in. But it couldn't be possible... he didn't just... no. Sakura shook her head. She was thinking too much about that Itachi fellow. Her mind was creating crap for her. Or maybe it was a good time to get a boyfriend. Daydreaming of unknown patients was never a good indication of sanity. She was borderline obsessing. Nuh-uh, never a good sign.

She then continued on her current mission at hand.

* * *

A/N: The lyrics are from Avenged Sevenfold. Hope you enjoyed! :D


	4. Preparations of the Heart… and Mind

**Team Kakashi**

_By: Lady Evelynn  
_

_**All standard disclaimers apply**: I do not own Naruto. Though the plot is mine. I just lack creativity in the character design department, hence why I abuse already made characters. Mwah!_

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**Chapter 4**: _Preparations of the Heart. . . and Mind._

By the time Sakura reached her apartment complex, Hinata's food preperations were all placed down upon the dining table patiently awaiting for Sakura's presence and untouched. Hinata was a really great friend towards Sakura, complementing Sakura's impatience with her calm demeanor and selflessness. She would be the perfect house wife.

"Welcome back, Sakura-san," Hinata smiled, already sitting down at the table. Ino wasn't present, but Sakura had a feeling that tonight Ino wasn't going to arrive until way later.

"Thank you for waiting on me. The pager Sizune-sama gave me in replacement to my busted one was _surprisingly_ broken as well," Sakura emphasized sarcastically. Taking her place across from Hinata on the floor, it was usually her who instigated the conversations. Sakura really wasn't fond of dining in quiet. She then continued her rant, "So I might get random pages throughout the night, maybe even worse hours than before, only for them to be false alarms. I'm thinking that my other pager was a blessing compared to this one. Ah, Hinata," Sakura sighed, taking a breather, and then stopped herself from placing a small dumpling into her mouth, "What are you doing this Friday?"

Hinata placed down her chopsticks, as a polite gesture, and met Sakura's green eyes with her lilac ones. To say Hinata's eyes were beautiful was an understatement. At the passing thought, Sakura vaguely wondered why Hinata was so conservative since she was so beautiful. Shouldn't she be flaunting her beauty? She might even get a boost in confidence. But Hinata was also lovely the way she was, the pink haired girl didn't think she could handle another Ino in her life.

"Um. . . I am attending a concert," Hinata replied in a soft voice, barely audible only to those who didn't care to listen. But Sakura was interested— very interested.

"Team Kakashi?" Sakura asked with a little suspicion on the tip of her tongue. Perhaps it was Hinata who gave her the ticket in disguise of a letter. Hinata has never been as straightforward as herself, so it was possible that Hinata was the one who gave her the ticket in disguise.

Hinata nodded, suppressing a brightening smile. "Hai. It's my favorite band. "

"Ah. Arigato, Hinata-chan, they're my favorite too," Sakura smiled. Hinata tilted her head to the side in confusion, but Sakura paid her action no mind and continued to devourer the dumpling once again. After dinner was finished, and Sakura was done washing the dishes, Sakura made her way to her bedroom. It was a few days until the concert, and she would be prepared. She'd do research on them, and dress up for an occasion she won't ever forget. It's not common getting a backstage pass to one of the sexiest bands ever, now is it? Sakura grinned and shut her door behind her. Maybe she'd get a haircut; after all, she was meaning to update her style for a long while.

Just as she sat down at her vanity and reached for her comb, what sounded like the front door shutting very violently and loud steps interrupted her through process. _Ino_. Sakura thought, mildly curious to why she was arriving so late. In the background, Sakura heard Hinata's soft voice—probably telling her leftovers were in the fridge— and Ino thanking her loudly.

Shaking her head, Sakura stared back into her reflection once more and observed herself with her sharp eyes. She was maturing into a beautiful woman, she knew that, however she was sad that she was still single. What she desired above all was, deep down inside her heart, love. Perhaps tomorrow she'd chat up Tenten and finally give into getting her fortune told, and not allow that random peddler on the street to bug her mind anymore. Tenten was quite notorious for her accurate descriptions into the future, but her way of telling it was kind of. . . uncanny and intimidating. Maybe that was why Sakura never gave into the urge before.

A laugh escaped Sakura's lips and she began to comb out the tangles in her hair.

A soft knock came from her door, disrupting her thoughts, and before Sakura could answer, the door opened. "Yes?" Sakura asked, mildly peeved at the lack of privacy.

"Sheesh, you'd think you enjoy the dark with how you are creepily sitting over there," Ino sighed as she flickered on the lights. "Well, I just stopped by your room to tell you that on Wednesday we're going to do some shopping. Hinata's coming too, since she only works Fridays and weekends. I thought it'd be nice to have a girls' day out. Plus, she needs some new outfits too,"

"You know Hinata also has a ticket for the concert, right?" Sakura asked, back to brushing her hair.

"Really? Well then, more fun for us," Ino laughed. "She's so modest, it kinda worries me,"

"Ino, not everyone is willing to show off ample amount of skin like you do," Sakura replied, suppressing a smirk. She watched the blonde's response through her mirror.

"Yeah, well not everyone looks as damn good as I do, either," Ino opened grinned. At that, both girls laughed. It was like having her best friend again—t o be able to joke about things and not worry about hurting someone's feelings. Ino abruptly stopped laughing and made her way towards Sakura's window.

"Eh?" Sakura asked, finished with her nightly primping.

"You know, you should place curtains on these windows. What if some random creep is watching you?" Ino asked, disgust prevalent in her voice.

"Curtains gives me the creeps at night, is why. But I'm thinking about getting some shutters later. Why the interest?"

"Ah, just worried about my dear ol' best friend's wellbeing. Oh! You have a plant?" Ino smiled, taking note in the plant hanging on Sakura's ceiling. Sakura nodded. "At least I can forgive you about the curtains since plants need as much sun as possible," Ino winked and grabbed the water pitcher by the window sill to hydrate the plant.

"Ino, we missed you at dinner," Sakura stated, nonchalantly. Though in truth, she was very curious to why Ino arrived so late.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I already ate some of the leftovers Hinata put up. They were scrumptious by the way," Ino smiled, placing the pitcher down onto its proper place again. "Well it's late. Time for me to hit the sack. I need as much beauty sleep as possible if the concert is in less than five days," With that, Ino grinned and waved a good-night to her friend. Sakura softly smiled then gathered some clothing for her nightwear, and headed for the bathroom. A nice, hot bath would relax her mind.

'_Itachi. . .'_

That name woke her up again. It was really getting on her nerves, for something to be constantly on her mind. She had to get to the bottom of this. The 'Game Over' warning on the Kunai, Itachi, the poison, that mysterious young man, everything. Sakura grabbed one of her few extra pillows on her bed and hugged it close to her chest, a way of relieving stress, and then looked outside her window. The moon was waxing, it was beautiful, but Friday would be the Full Moon. She could hardly wait. She didn't remember what any of the band members looked like, however, she knew she was attracted to the band for some reason— not just the vocals.

It was weird— she acted like a child all over again. It was rare for her to, since she had to grow up quickly and get a job so that she could pay for schooling and other things, but this past week she's been seeping into her more childlike self. Perhaps it was Ino's fault, coming back into her life on such short notice and evoking suppressed emotions and memoires.

The last time she saw the woman was when they were barely teens. Ino had lost her family due to sickness— one of the reasons Sakura wanted to study in the medical field— and lived with Sakura and her parents for awhile. During that time they bonded so close, and then Ino left.

Ino proclaimed she found someone in a distant town, someone who has captivated her heart. Without a word to Sakura's family, she left in hopes of pursuing her love interest. In the end, her action made Sakura bitter. How could she just leave like that? Love wasn't everything; a person had to also have other self values. At this point in Sakura's life, she'd never really had a true boyfriend, due to the impact of Ino's departure, but now that she had set goals and was well off in life, she felt the loneliness. Maybe Ino felt alone, and that's why she left. But it was odd that she didn't find her family comforting. Confused, she dismissed the rummaging thoughts. She didn't want to think too much tonight, she wanted sleep. She _needed_ sleep. She didn't want to start delving into her past. It was just too sad.

Sakura closed her eyes and held tightly onto her pillow. Slowly but surely, she solemnly fell to sleep.

The sound of her pager woke her up. Sakura grumbled and reached over towards where she placed her pager— on a table by the side of her bed. '_It better not be malfunctioning again. ._ .' Sakura groggily thought. When her eyes adjusted to the number on the tiny screen, Sakura smacked her head against her soft pillow. Tsunade was paging her. Great. She had only about, say, four hours of sleep?

Going through the motions, Sakura placed on her regular attire for work and scuffled out of her apartment. Funny, she vaguely thought, Ino's door was open. Sakura brushed the thought aside. Sakura pulled out her phone, she didn't even bother to look at the clock lest her mind and body crumple from fatigue, and dialed Tsunade's work line.

"Moshi moshi," Tsunade's familiar voice answered, with a hint of strain.

"Ah, Tsunade-sensei, I'll be there in ten minutes. Is there anything specific I should know?" Sakura asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Yes. It appears that the files on that boy from two nights ago have strangely disappeared. Because you worked on the boy, I want you here to investigate," Tsunade replied matter-of-factly. Oh crap, she was in for it this morning.

"Hai, Tsunade-sensei," Tsunade hung up the phone and Sakura placed the phone back into her school bag. She wasn't going to make it back to her apartment in time to get ready for school, so she brought all of her belongings with her. It was a smart thing to do in her line of work, and with her hours.

Morning passed, and still after looking hours into the system's database and hard files, even the copies, she couldn't find a trace of evidence that the boy was ever there. It was like he was never admitted. Was that why she saw him yesterday? Did he come back to remove any trace he was there? She thought she was imagining, but surely, he had to have come back to remove his ever being there. It unnerved her, this whole thing.

An hour before school started, Tsunade dismissed her. No use putting in more effort than needed. If the files were gone, and no one witnessed anything, then this whole problem was better left in the trash. Sakura though, couldn't get it off her mind. She couldn't get it off her mind ever since she encountered the young man, bloodied and almost beyond repair. Someone was after him, but he also didn't seem like a saint himself.

Just as work seemed to fly by, so did classes. And by the end of the day, Sakura found herself relaxing at Hinata's work. It was air-conditioned and dark; refreshing, if you ignored the smell of the permanent stench of cigarettes in the air. The ambiance was just enough relaxing for Sakura to take a quick cat nap.

Unfortunately, that's when Tenten strolled in. Sakura could automatically tell it was her by the sound of bells that were decorated in her buns. Who else would wear anything such as that? A _customer_? Sakura grunted, an attempt of a laugh.

"Sakura-chan, so I see you finally gave in," Tenten's strong voice teased. Tenten made her way towards the table Sakura was at, and plopped herself down at the chair across from her.

"Yeah," Sakura slurred. Her fatigue was getting the best of her.

"You look out of shape there. Care the share?" Tenten asked while waving down a waitress. During the day kiddies who were 18+ could venture into the club, but since they were friends of one of the best workers there, they caught some slack— and also special attention. "Can I get a Shirley Temple and then a Strawberry Virgin Daiquiri for my friend, here?" The waitress nodded, memorizing the order, and left.

"Tsunade paged me in the morning,"

"Sometimes I think it's a blessing just being a receptionist. At least the hours are very stable, even if nothing interesting ever happens," Tenten laughed. "Where's Hinata by the way?"

Sakura pointed towards the stairs which led to the second level, "She's busy rehearsing,"

"Too bad we won't be able to see her perform. Ah well, another time maybe?" Tenten smiled and pulled out one of her bells, which was attached to a chopstick ornament. But instead of being dull, like other chopsticks, Tenten's was sharp and dangerous looking. It was amazing when she pulled these weapons out of her hair that she didn't cut any of it off. "So, what would you like to look at? Horoscope for today? Or maybe love," Tenten whispered the last question, her chocolate eyes glossing— as they normally did when she was about to foretell the future.

"I need a generalization over everything. I've been stressing out lately, and I want to see why,"

Sakura extended both her hands and awaited for the inevitable. With precision only a doctor would praise, Tenten slashed into one of Sakura's palms and placed her free hand over it. She then placed down her hair stick and brought the other hand over Sakura's uncut one. Pressing her fingertips against the fine lines of Sakura's uncut palm, Tenten closed her eyes.

It was necessary that she felt the life force of a customer, and blood would give out the most. It was also needed to feel the destiny, or lifelines, of the other hand. With concentration, one could combine the present (blood) and the future (the lines upon a person's hands) and give accurate description of what a person's life would entail.

Tenten's face furrowed as she accessed the information that was given to her by Sakura's life force. 'Strange' was a word that formed in Tenten's mind. "I foresee darkness. Your life's light is withering. Something to do with a man. No, two men. They are hunting you. Don't. . . don't go into the darkness. He awaits you. Stalking you. Protecting you? Sakura, stay in the light,"

With that, Tenten released her grip upon her friend's hand and breathed in deeply. Sakura, all the while, was confused. What was this about darkness and light? What sort of metaphor was that? Instead of getting answers, she received more questions. And it infuriated her. "Tenten," Sakura snapped, losing her patience, "What do you mean?"

"I. . . don't know. Normally I can read people easily, but with you it was like someone was warding my intrusion away. Has anything weird happen lately?" Tenten asked, cleaning her hair pin with a napkin then placing it gingerly into her bun again.

"Actually, yes." For the past twenty minutes, Sakura explained in detail all that she could remember, from the fortune teller to when she met that mysterious man. It was a headache, and she realized how silly she sounded when she told her, but it was the truth—as much as she could remember. During the time which Sakura was relaying all that's been weird, their drinks arrived, and Sakura felt more relaxed.

"I don't know why, but do you think this related to my fortune?"

"Definitely, Sakura. Do you mind if I tag along with you to your place? Not today of course, but maybe in the near future. I want to check a few things out. Maybe add some more lamps inside your room and around your place," Tenten laughed and placed a few coins onto the table. "But for now, I have to go. Duty calls. Take care, okay?"

Sakura nodded and placed her half of the bill on the table as well. She just might take Tenten's advice this once. She decided that she'd purchase the extra lighting when they went on their shopping spree to impress, as well as some shutters. It was about time she went about renovations in her chambers.

Today was a long and exhausting day. But the day wasn't over, not yet. She still had one thing she planned on fulfilling before her body gave out, and that was to research the infamous Team Kakashi band.

Taking out her laptop, which was stuffed underneath her bed, she moved herself to her vanity table and brought out some paper and writing utensils. She found many sites dedicated to them: one official site, and many other fan-based ones. Apparently, no one knows their true identity, since they wear masks upon their faces. On one interview the lead singer, known as Uzamaki (also fan dubbed as _the Soulless_), explained that they preferred their secrecy because their personal lives were separated from their artist personas, and that there was no need to intertwine the two. Interesting, Sakura noted.

There were two more members in the band: one with bright red hair and another with true black hair, which shimmered blue under true lighting. But if they wore masks, Sakura was confident that they hid other features too, like their hair color.

It was weird that Team Kakashi had many fans, because they wore masks that concealed their looks. Many young ladies preferred a man with a beautiful face, but their bodies made up for their lack of prominent features, it seemed. They all were toned, sporting a perfect physic, and they all looked very delectable. Sakura bit her lip, scanning the many pictures of them that were supported on someone's fan page. They were beyond sexy.

The other two masked males were known for their lack of expression, but Uzumaki made up for their lack of speech—tenfold. Though lacking a stage name, both the silent men are known as being the Percussionist and the Bassist. Their fan-dubbed names, however, were more exotic: Loveless, the presumed red head, and Heartless, the dark haired man.

Being that they basically severed any connection to their personal lives, Sakura couldn't dig up any more dirt. She did have a VIP ticket, thanks to Hinata, and she wanted to at least have something to talk about when she met the three men. Their music was captivating, and Sakura wanted to give something back to them. It was odd, but she felt a compulsive need to.

With no more information to dig up, and her body barely being able to hold itself upright, Sakura listlessly made her way to her bed. She plopped down without a second thought, not bothering to change into her night wears, and was asleep within a few seconds.

A few hours later, Hinata softly knocked on Sakura's door, but when she didn't receive an answer she left. She supposed it'd be just Ino and her for dinner, she'd separate a portion for Sakura for when she finally awoke. Ino gave Hinata a questioning glace in the kitchen as she distributed the food.

"She's asleep," Hinata said, in her soft and ever-so womanly voice. Ino shook her head and sighed loudly.

"How unfun. Well, at least I don't have to hold myself back; I'm starving!" Ino and Hinata placed each dish onto the small dining table, then sat themselves across each other on the floor. "So, Hinata-chan," Ino said while breaking her chopsticks apart effortlessly, "What do you know about Team Kakashi?"

* * *

A/N: Welcome me back! Well now. . . what to say? I don't think there's a good enough reason for the four year hiatus I placed on this story. Heh. Hopefully this chapter makes up from the lack of frequent updates. Reviews are appreciated btw!


	5. Meet and Greet with Devils… and Angels

**Team Kakashi**

_By: Lady Evelynn_

_**All standard disclaimers apply**: I do not own Naruto. Though the plot is mine. The song used belongs to 30 Seconds to Mars. Listen to it, it's great._

Recap:

_Haruno Sakura is a nurse in training, who works part-time with Doctor Tsunade (and who also gives her ridiculous hours) as well as a senior at Konoha High School. Her life is anything but average, and when she meets a stranger with blood colored eyes on the way to a midnight emergency call from her mentor her life and everything changes._

_She saves a young man, seemingly the same age as her, from what seems to be a fight gone terribly wrong. When she unseals him and takes out a kunai from deep inside him engraved "Game Over" she knows this boy is special. Before anyone could get anything out of him, he disappeared and all record of his being there was erased a few days later._

_To add onto the complication, Ino, her childhood friend, comes back to spend some time with her, then Sakura receives an anonymous letter with a ticket for an up and personal meeting with her favourite band. With a few days left until the day of the concert, Hinata (Sakura's roommate) and Ino decide to go on a shopping spree for the concert._

_But someone is keeping an eye on the young woman, stalking her; someone with blood-red eyes._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 5**: _Meet and Greet with the Devils . . . and Angels._

Today was the day Ino would take both Sakura and Hinata to the Leaf Garden Mall, or Konoha Mall as locals liked to call it. As soon as the bell rang, signifying the end of classes, Sakura was the first one to rush out of her classroom. After pushing through the already crowded hallways and exiting the building, she saw that Ino was already waiting by the Local Transport stop with Hinata, both looking extremely bored.

The benefits of being in Class A were that the students received special privileges; one of them being that the students could leave early if all assignments were finished. Sakura, being a Class B student, had a more strenuous class. The teacher believed in using time wisely.

The reason why she wasn't in Class A was due to her horrible schedule last year— at that time she was adjusting to her new work schedule Tsunade gave her, on top of her own daily life schedule— and therefore, barely passed her placement exam. She was asleep for most of the test time period because of that and therefore was signed to Class B. She had tried to persuade the higher ups of the school that she wasn't unprepared, on the contrary she was more than, but that she was instead exhausted and didn't have enough time to complete the test.

To further her reasons, every problem she had time to answer was all correct, leaving the ones she didn't get to, effecting her overall grade. The higher ups disregarded her plea, and since there was no one else to complain to, she was stuck in the lower class.

Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her long, straight hair at the frustration of the memory. It was great that since she still had the same strenuous schedule she didn't have to focus much on school, seeing that Class B was easy for her. With Class A, she'd have more assignments and it would therefore be more time consuming—something more of that she didn't need. She didn't complain anymore, but being in a lower class still looked badly on her record.

"Haruno, what took you so long? I left you an SMS almost fifteen minutes ago. The bus isn't going to wait all day for a straggler," Ino teased. The bus didn't wait, true, but Ino thought ahead enough to buy later tickets.

"Well, blame that on Kurenai-sensei. She's surprisingly not as laid back as some people would think. Especially if they've never been in her classroom,"

"Well, Asuma's a great guy. Since we're such obedient students he allows us to leave whenever we want. Took me awhile to convince Hinata to leave, but she finally gave in. She's such a goody-two-shoes," Ino laughed, holding out a ticket to Sakura. "C'mon, we haven't all day!" Ino then entered the public transport bus.

As opposed to other transports, buses that led to more public areas required a ticket. A person slid the ticket through the indicated slot at the entrance of the bus, and once the small machine read it, it plopped out the other side. When the ticket is read, a glass barrier slides open to allow the passenger to pass through into the seating area of the bus.

Sakura did just that, and followed Ino towards the back of the bus. The bus wasn't enormous, but it _was_ roomy when it wasn't rush hour. A lot of people liked to take the bus because it was easy transportation, and it was safe.

"Hello, Sakura-chan," It was Hinata. She was sitting in the back corner, across from Ino's designated spot. Sakura chose to sit upfront of Hinata. "How is your hand?" Hinta asked with concern. Since they didn't have dinner together, Hinata didn't realize that Sakura was wounded until the morning. But since Sakura was an aspiring doctor, it would be safe to say that Sakura could easily tend to her wound. It was still nice to make sure, just in case.

"Hey Hinata. Well, the blood already coagulated so I didn't have to worry about infection. It'll be completely healed by tomorrow," Sakura smiled, confidence shining through her eyes. Sakura took pride in her knowledge, she never liked to be put in situations where she had to depend on others for answers. It irked her, only because she was a woman of pride.

Sakura and Hinata were different in many ways. Perhaps best friends were like that, they complemented each other's traits. But whereas Sakura 's eyes held determination and strength, Hinata's eyes were soft and unassuming.

Today Hinata's hair was let down, accenting her pale face with its styled frame. Normally Hinata's hair would be pinned up in a way that it appeared she had boy-like hair; Hinata didn't like her hair getting in her way, Sakura assumed. But her hair let completely down was beautiful. Even though Sakura never saw Hinata perform, she would believe that she mesmerized her patrons.

"I hope you had a more eventful day than I did," Sakura laughed, almost bitterly. She then tore her eyes from the young woman and looked towards Ino's direction.

Ino was texting. She was always busy, it seemed. Was it that Ino came back for good, or was she visiting? There was so much mystery surrounding Ino that Sakura was so confused whenever she looked at Ino. "Well?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence between the three.

Ino looked up, all the while continuing to move her fingers across the small keyboard connected to her cell. "Well what, forehead?"

Sakura gritted at the cruel nickname. "What's your plan?" That question had many meanings behind it, but Sakura assumed Ino would take the more direct version into consideration.

"We go to the mall, get a wardrobe make-over, eat, and then shop some more," Ino stated and once again looked down onto her phone's tiny screen. "We should add salon to the list, too."

Sakura's thin pink eyebrow twitched in response, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hinata laughed softly, breaking some of the tension. "I've been meaning. . . to go to a salon," The young woman nervously pressed both her index fingers together, looking downwards. It was a habit Hinata had when she was asserting herself. It was rare when she spoke aloud just to speak, so when Sakura noted this she closed her mouth at Ino and smiled to the other woman.

"Really? You're already beautiful Hinata. What would you want done anyways?"

"Well… I really wanted… to…" Hinata looked around, a blush creeping upon her cheeks. Sakura leaned forward, understanding Hinata's obvious embarrassment, "I-I wanted to get… a wax," Hinata looked away, her blush darker than before.

Sakura pulled away in surprise and let out a half of a laugh, only to shut her mouth and suppress it. She didn't want to be rude, but she also found it funny that Hinata would want to do something like that. After a few seconds, and another few deep breaths, Sakura asked: "You mean a facial wax?"

Hinata remained silent. It didn't seem like she had any out of place hairs on her face to begin with. But with Hinata's silence it only confirmed her dark thoughts. "A bikini wax?"

"What?" Ino yelled, enough that most of the people on the bus turned around to give the loud woman a glare. "Are you serious, Hina-chan?" Ino obviously ignored them, and ignored them well.

Hinata remained silent. Her only response was the darkening red on her face.

"To be honest, I didn't take you as such a woman," Ino grinned. Sakura shook her head in disbelief. Maybe Hinata was luckier with the opposite sex than she was. This made Sakura grit. "So then, who's the lucky man?"

Hinata let out of surprised breath and pressed her index fingers closer together. "U… Uzamaki,"

"What? With the lead singer of Team Kakashi? You're seeing him?"

"N-no! I just… never mind,"

"No, tell me! I'm very curious now," She must be, because her cell phone was put away and all of her attention was on the blushing maiden.

"I… I just want to… you know… en-encase,"

"Hinata, have you already lost your flower?" Ino grinned, leaning towards the dark haired woman.

"What?" Sakura yelled, drawing more attention from the passengers on the bus. This was even more saddening if Hinata lost her virginity before her!

"It's… It's so inappropriate to talk about this in public," Hinata managed to say throughout all Sakura's probing.

Ino laughed, but inside her heart cringed. Suppressed memories tried to resurface, but Ino swallowed them down painfully. No need to think about the past, just keep on moving. That's what she always chanted in her time of doubt.

Ino closed her eyes and listened to the voices of her friends. It was relaxing to be back, to be in the familiarity. She could almost just breathe peacefully and relax her mind. Ino stopped her thoughts again, otherwise they'd be out of control and she couldn't concentrate and keep her cool. Everything needed to be perfect. She was home, and she was going to enjoy ever damn minute of it until her departure. Memories like these are irreplaceable. Focus on the now, nothing else, she chided herself.

The blonde blocked unnecessary outside noise from being registered and imprinted in her mind and memory. If she was good at anything, reading deeply into things was her forte. Not only could she glance at someone and determine bit and pieces of their background history and current hobbies and professions, but she could also determine what types of personalities a person had and from then deduce how they would act and react— their thoughts. But she needed concentration to do this. One at a time; no distractions.

It was a hobby of hers, to say. She enjoyed being right, and she always was. Ino zoned into one of her talking friends and began to listen intently. To others she would appear to be busy catching up on R&R, and sometimes busy concentrating on doing other things— like SMSing and having light chat with nearby strangers. But, her mind was always alert. It was something she learned at a young age. _Don't ever be caught off guard._

Some, if they could read her mind (highly doubtful), would call her paranoid, but she would say she was playing it safe. You never knew when your world would turn upside down by the slightest action.

Opening her blue eyes, eyes that looked like the sky of Konoha—her birthplace—on a bright and cloudless day, she saw Sakura eyeing her curiously. Ino smiled back. "We almost there?" Ino asked, her eyes now glancing at the buildings they were passing by. She didn't remember much of her childhood home, much has changed, but it was nice to see that Konoha citizens took great care in their surroundings. Everything looked beautiful and fresh. Like a metropolitan garden.

Something caught her eye though, a flicker of recognition interrupted her thoughts, and Ino shot up. Her head and body followed her eyes.

"Almost there," Sakura replied, taking an interest in the attitude of her childhood friend, "_Ano_, what is it?"

"I thought… I saw something. A building that looks familiar. But I can't recall," Ino turned around and faced the two girls, smiling widely in slight embarrassment, "Never mind."

As if on cue, the bus came to a slow stop and the exit doors slid open. The exit doors were in the middle of the bus that led to a bus stand, the exit part at least. Ino watched as people boarded bus, placing their ticket into the designated slot and then watching as the glass door slid open for them to pass by and closed as soon as the one person slipped through.

Sakura stood up and walked towards the exit. "Come on," She bid, motioning the other two girls to follow, "We can walk to the mall from here. It's not that far,"

And it wasn't. It gave Ino a chance to scope the area around, to remember each and every detail. This was her home, her _true_ home. When they reached the mall, Sakura automatically pointed to a few places they should head to first from the directory. It was a huge mall, with a bazaar on the outside of it encase you didn't find anything of your liking in the mall. Many people, even though it was the weekday, crowded the mall. The ambiance was lively.

"Neh, I think we should leave the Salon for last, don't you think, Hina-chan?" Sakura smiled, sticking out her tongue. Hinata blushed and slowly nodded. "So, let's shop for outfits first, then accessories and shoes for later. It's best to get the big stuff out of the way first,"

"Really? I was in the mood for checking out some cute hair accessories," Ino smirked, placing her finger on one of the areas on the directory. "It's on the bottom floor, too,"

"The bazaar has many discount hair accessories," Sakura added, as-a-matter-of-factly. "So it'd be less time consuming if we check those out later,"

"Alright, lead the way then, forehead," Ino smiled, tucking her long blonde bang behind her ear, creating a swooping effect. Sakura twitched her brow in irritation, but led on. Oh, did she love to get responses out of her friend.

While walking around and stopping at certain stores, trying on outfits and contemplating what to buy, the three girls were enjoying chatting about nothing in particular. These moments were the moments that meant a lot to friends. Just to be with one another and enjoy each other's company.

"So, Hinata-chan," Ino spoke as she pulled tightly on some lace attached to the shirt she was trying on at the moment. "What exactly is this job you do? I keep on hearing Sakura mention it, and things like your 'customers.' I'm so confused,"

The sound of clothes being taken off and put on and the sound of hangers clanking against each other could be heard, but Ino didn't hear a response from the quiet woman. After Ino successfully placed on her desired outfit, she opened the dressing room door and made her way towards the larger mirror in the dressing room hallway.

'_Ah, beautiful. I might just get this_,' Ino thought silently. Soon Hinata came out, the outfit she tried on in hand and not on her body. "Eh, Hinata-chan?"

"Well, um, I'm a dancer," Ino waited a few more seconds while Hinata stared down at the price tag of the outfit she held in her hands. When Hinata's gaze met Ino's through the mirror, Hinata went on, "I'm an exotic dancer at a gentlemen's club. The upstairs is for paying customers and the downstairs is a club for those who don't want entertainment," Hinata said, letting out an elongated breath.

Ino blinked in surprise. For such a soft spoken young woman who appeared to be innocent in many ways, to think that she was already in an adult sort of world. Thinking back to the bus ride, Ino connected two and two together. It was such a shame.

"But I don't mind," Hinata smiled, walking closer to the blonde woman still posing in the mirror. "It pays well and I only perform on weekends. Plus, it's a learning experience,"

The true meaning of that statement shouldn't have to be spoken out loud. But Ino was always the type of girl to share her opinion, "So, you 'dance' for horny old bastards' pleasures?" It was critical, her tone, but she didn't really approve of a sort of life for Hinata-chan, who seems so innocent.

Hinata blinked, then blushed dark red. "No, no, no! It's not what you… think. I only perform on stage. I do not do solo performances," Hinata almost laughed, Ino saw. She was beyond embarrassed, she could tell. So instead of Hinata laughing, Ino laughed in her steed.

"Has Sakura-chan seen you perform?" Ino inquired, still laughing.

"Never. Nor has Tenten. I'm sure they'd get too embarrassed… watching me,"

"Well I wouldn't. I think it'd be a fun experience. I'd totally cheer you on." Truth be told, Ino liked Hinata. She was the type of friend you made and then that's it; no fighting and no drama. You were friends until fate deems it not— and fate would have to be pretty damn persistent.

"A-arigato," Hinata mumbled, placing the clothes that were in her hands onto a nearby rack.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, do you like those?" Ino asked as she turned around from the mirror to take off the outfit she placed on.

Hinata paused at her action and offered a tiny smile to Ino. "Yes, they are beautiful, but… they don't look good on me,"

Ino's keen eye caught the lie, even before Hinata uttered a sound. It was all in her body language. With a smile, Ino walked towards the dark haired woman and snagged the clothes from her fragile looking hands. "Then I shall purchase them. They look so adorable. Oh, 6.000 Ryo? Such expensive taste I have," Ino grinned and made her way towards the dressing room she emerged from before.

Hinata's lilac eyes followed Ino's toned and beautiful body until she slammed the dressing room door, awaking Hinata from her silent trance. A small frown appeared on her full lips, then opened to sigh softly. Walking out of the dressing room she spotted Sakura's pink hair waving restlessly as the woman moved from clothes rack to clothes rack.

"I can't find a damn thing that would compliment my hair," Hinata heard the young woman growl.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata called out.

Sakura stopped pilfering through clothes and turned towards the source of the voice. "Ah! Hinata-chan, how did you like the outfit?"

Hinata shook her head, "No good,"

"Ah, Hinata-chan, you shouldn't be so stingy with your money sometimes. I know you make a lot of money, and bills aren't bad enough to drain anyone of their fun money. I wonder then, what do you spend your money on," Sakura grinned, pulling out a revealing dark purple mini dress from the rack she was looking at. "This might look good on you. Try it on!" Sakura smiled, handing out the clothing article to her.

Hinata shook her head. "Okay…"

As Hinata made her way back towards the dressing room Ino exited. "Alright, I'm done!" Ino announced to no one in particular. However, her voice did carry so she grabbed the attention of most the people in the store. With a wide grin decorating her face, she made her way towards the cash register unabashedly.

The store they were in was well known for their great quality, as well as their high prices. It was shocking to find a striving high schooler make their way towards the "a la mode" section of the store, instead of the discount racks where Sakura was busying herself; it was more than shocking, however, to find a high schooler purchasing said items in abundance! And that was what Ino was doing unawares.

"I-Ino," Sakura called out, stumbling towards the young blonde woman. In the many years the two were apart she never imagined, well she _vaguely_ imagined, that Ino would be a shopaholic. Did she even have enough money to cover that?

"Just place everything on this credit, here," Ino smiled at the cashier lady, giving her a plastic card.

When Sakura reached to where Ino was, she curiously looked at the price. 52.000 Ryo?

"Is that much?" Ino asked nonchalantly. Sakura had apparently spoken aloud gaining her and her companion curious stares.

"Eh, for me it is. I make that amount in three months working with Tsunade-sensei, without paying bills and buying groceries,"

"Well, I just happen to be a big saver," Ino winked, grabbing her card and placing it into her small purse pouch hanging carelessly supported on her shoulder. "I saved up all my money to see you again, Sakura-chan. Now that I'm here, why not spend it? Sheesh, don't need to worry that much over me, forehead. I'm not six," Ino laughed and grabbed the clothing that was all bagged for her. "Where's Hinata?"

"She's trying on something I think would make her look adorably beautiful. I hope she gets something that compliments her physic,"

"—and shows a bit of her ta-tas," Ino added, smirking at the mental image. Ino thought she had big breasts, but when she saw Hinata try on a previous outfit she was obviously mistaken. She presumed her outlandish comment drove Hinata beyond embarrassment made her become even more self-conscious of herself than already, instead of proud like Ino would have been if someone complimented her in that way.

A few seconds later, Hinata came out, dress in hand and walked towards the girls. "It's very beautiful, Sakura-chan. Thank you, I like it," turning towards the cashier lady, she placed the dress on top of the counter gently, "I will take this, ma'am,"

After paying the amount, the girls left the store and continued their escapade throughout the mall until their feet began to blister. Or, well, ache.

"Ah, I'm starving!" Ino yawned, slumping onto a nearby bench and letting her many bags of assortments fall by her feet. Hinata and Sakura followed in her trail, sitting beside one another.

"There's a ramen place nearby the bus stop if you want some homemade cuisine," Sakura suggested, playing with a new curled strand of hair. She didn't want the stylist at the salon cutting her hair, so instead she got her hair curled.

"It's a bit late though. Might be dangerous for three beautiful creatures such as us to walk alone at night," Ino laughed. "Especially if our hands are preoccupied carrying these," Ino pointing towards all the bags she had to carry compared to Hinata's and Sakura's.

"I'm not carrying your things, Ino," Sakura said, glowering at the blond who had her hair completely flattened. No longer could you see her other blue eye, it was now hidden away beneath the long blonde strands of straightened bang.

"Ramen does sound delicious," Hinata piped in, her hand covering her stomach in an attempt to hide its grumbling.

"Then it's settled. Food's on me, girls," Ino smirked, standing up with renewed energy.

The girls arrived in record time, considering Ino had to carry more than ten very heavy bags on her own, and all sighed when the smell of ramen invaded their senses.

"This is heaven!" Ino shouted, ducking under the entrance flaps so she could enter the heavenly place.

"I'm glad you think so," a voice replied. He was standing behind the ramen counter handing out two bowls of freshly made ramen to some guests.

Ino replied with a wide grin. Sakura followed suit along with Hinata in the rear.

"You gals know what you'd like to order?"

Sakura replied instantly, taking up a seat at the bar, her bags kept on the floor neatly by her feet, "Yes. I'd like the special,"

"Coming right up," The man said, smiling. The ramen stand was a small, dinky place, but the service was top-notch, as well as the quality.

"I will have some Miso Ramen, please," Hinata said, sitting next to Sakura.

"Make that two on the Miso," Ino nodded, taking a seat next to Hinata. Just as Ino was about to start conversation, one of the guests beside her was acting quite rude and disrupted her train of thought with his slurping.

After a few minutes of listening to him slurp, Ino turned her chair towards the person making the noise and slammed her fist into the table, catching his attention. His eyes drifted uninterestedly onto Ino's, then shifted to something behind her that caught his attention.

"Hey! You're that one girl from the strip club!" He yelled loudly, making the other girls turn towards the young man, each with a different expression:

Ino looked more than annoyed, Hinata's face was past the brightness that red could go on a colour pallet, and Sakura looked a cross between confused and angry.

"Yeah," He grinned, "The pretty girl with the pink hair. I almost didn't recognize you. You curled your hair. It looks great,"

It took a second for the two girls to recognize the man. It was true, they did meet before, at Hinata's job. Though calling it a strip club wasn't really called for. "You think you can yell a _little_ louder?" Ino interjected, glaring at the blond. The guy beside her scratched the back of his head in an sort of embarrassed apology. He then turned his attention to Sakura.

"Surprise meeting you again. I've been wanting to bump into you to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime,"

Wow, this guy didn't beat around the bush. Sakura regained her composition only to start laughing. "I have a name, you know. It's Haruno Sakura,"

"Sakura. . . san," The young man worded her name slowly, getting it used to on his tongue. Sakura furrowed her brows. At least he added a suffix.

"Uh, do you want to switch places, Sakura?" Ino asked, rubbing her ears.

"Sure," Sakura nodded. After changing places, Sakura held out her hand and smiled to the young man. She wasn't known for being rude. He took it as quickly at it extended and shook it. "So, is there any reason why you want to take me out after meeting me for the second time in your life?"

Both hands retracted and he watched as she sat down before answering, "You're beautiful of course," He grinned. Sakura's brow twitched. Talk about superficial, "But that's not the only reason. I'm going to be leaving town soon and I really like this place. Since I recently came here for… vacation I don't know many people, and I'm wondering if you could show me around. I can take you out on dates too. Win-win situation, you know?"

By this time, all three ramen bowls were given to each girl. "Arigato," Sakura echoed along with Hinata, to the cook. "Ah, I have a very busy schedule—"

"Please?" The young man grinned cheezily. He seemed the desperate type, Sakura noted with slight distaste.

"I'm sorry," Sakura shook her head and turned towards her food. Picking up her chopsticks, she removed the Uzamaki pieces to one side of her bowl and was about to take a bite of some of her noodles when he interrupted,

"Naruto. That's my name. And please, we don't even have to call it a date. I'm sure you can bend your schedule a bit. Think of it as a small vacation; everybody deserves a lot in their life,"

"You're persistent, aren't you?"

"Believe it," he grinned. Pushing his bowl away from him, already finished with it, he grabbed for a napkin and grabbed a pen from his pocket. Scribbling something down, Sakura watched from the corner of her eye with little interest as she made work at her food, managing to scarf down a few full bites.

**Is this guy seriously writing his number down? What a loser.**

"Here," Naruto smiled broadly, sliding the napkin over to her. "Meet me here Sunday. You have to be a Kage if you're schedule is completely filled on a national off day,"

Surprisingly it wasn't his number. She would have to reevaluate this guy; he wasn't a complete freak.

"Naruto," A soft voice beside the blond male spoke. Sakura shifted her eyes to the man she never noticed. His hair color was brilliant, making it the first thing she laid eyes on. It was red, like an intense flame. His face was pale and unmarred, and the expression on his face seemed… emotionless. "It's time to go,"

He got up, leaving money where his empty bowl lay, and left, not bothering to wait for Naruto. "Eh, well then, I guess I'll be seeing you," Naruto grinned and waved to Sakura, then bowed kindly to the cook, "Arigato, Teuchi-san," Without a glace behind him, he left the girls and caught up with his friend.

"Well that was rude," Ino scoffed. She drank a bit from the complimentary water and looked to where Sakura was. "How do come to attract losers like that?"

"Shut it, Ino," Sakura said, suppressing the urge to smirk.

"So where did he ask to meet you?" Hinata inquired, softly.

"Oh," Sakura's green eyes glaced down, reading the scribbles on the napkin, "the hot springs,"

**LEMME REPHRASE THAT. HE'S A FREAK!**

Hinata coughed and Ino burst out laughing. "Well doesn't he have balls,"

"Uh, for some reason I don't think I'll be able to escape him. I should go, shouldn't I?" It was more of a question to herself than to anyone else.

"We could come along if you like, Sakura-chan,"

"Thanks Hinata, I'd like that. Ino, you'd come too, neh?"

Ino raised a brow, "I could barely sit next to him more than a minute, you think I'd want to suffer through that again? Well unless his cute friend were to join, I wouldn't mind. I've never dated a red head,"

"And you have much experience, flower girl?"

"Why else do you think I'm so knowledgeable with plants? I have to know what exactly these boys are intending with me, and their subtle messages, when they give me gifts of love,"

"What if they don't know what they're giving you?" Sakura asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Then he better hope he chose a good flower,"

All three girls laughed and ended the night with a cools night drive home on the bus.

* * *

Hinata yawned and stretched her lean body over the surface of her bed. Nothing unordinary had woken her up; she just was not able to relax completely. Today was, well, one of the best days she's had recently. She smiled softly at the memories of today and looked towards the edge of her bed, where the door was located. It was cold, unnaturally so.

Since she was up, why not turn down the air conditioning. With that resolve, Hinato pushed herself off her cushioned bed and made her way to the door. She opened the door slowly, so not to wake any of the other girls, and walked more softly towards the main room.

"…not stand around …damn vulture. We don't have…me do it on my time…"

It was Ino. Probably on the phone, though it was past one. It must've been an important phone call, though Ino sounded angry. Tip toeing down the hall, Hinata found the AC control and switched it to a higher number. "Good night, Ino-san," Hinata whispered, and stalked off to her room.

"Neh, Hina-chan?"

Hinata blinked and turned around, surprised to see Ino standing at the end of the hall, not seconds after she made her way back. Was she that loud?

"Hai?"

"What are you doing up?"

"It was… cold. I couldn't sleep. Ah, Ino-san—"

Ino brought her index finger up and waved it, signifying 'no'. "You can just call me Ino, and if you can't we know each other, so why not used 'chan'?" Ino smiled.

"Hai. Ino-chan, why were you on the phone so late?"

"Oh that. I was talking to my boyfriend. He was worried about me. Time difference, you know?" Ino grinned. "Speaking of boyfriends, I got you that outfit today. Sorry if I seemed to have snagged it away from you, but I just couldn't let you not take it. And don't think about paying me back. Think of it as… a gift of accommodation."

Hinata blushed then nodded. "Thank you, Ino-chan,"

"Ah, now go to sleep. Asuma's giving us a test tomorrow and we need all the sleep we could get in order to stand another day in his boring presence. Kidding, kidding!" Ino laughed, before Hinata could come to Asuma's defense. "Good night, Hina-chan. Today was fun. I hope we have more times like this. It's hard to find a good friend in this world," Ino winked then returned to the living room where she took up residence.

"Ah. . . good night," Hinata nodded, and with newfound tiredness, she slept well that night. But still, it seemed the air conditioning was still a bit too high.

* * *

"I can't believe it! Today is the day! I have never seen these guys in concert. I'm kinda scared to be sitting by myself in the front row," Sakura squealed, in a very out of character way. She was a mature woman now, but still in her heart she was still a teenager.

"I've seen them once. It's amazing. You don't have to worry, just only about the other crazy fanatics sitting next to you in the front row. I still can't believe the ticket you got. Can we switch, please?" Ino asked, bending down and folding her hands upfront of Sakura.

"Please! I earned these," Sakura smirked, thanking Hinata quietly.

"Oh, how? They just appear in your mailbox, and you assume you earned them? Maybe they got the wrong Haruno Sakura. Maybe they meant Yamanaka Ino, resident in Haruno Sakura's abode,"

Hinata was making her way from one of the promotion stands as the girls were bantering. "Okay, pick one. But don't look,"

The girls gave Hinata a curious look then did as she asked, each drawing a shirt from Hinata's hands with eyes closed, and Hinata took the last shirt still in her arms.

Both girls checked the shirts they chose. "Loveless?" Sakura sighed. "That sounds depressing," She moaned as she remembered her fortune from before.

"Heartless? Damn it. Sakura, I'll trade you!"

"Uzamaki, hm?" Hinata smiled, and instantly put it on. The shirt was of Uzamaki's masks, a demonic fox, very gothic-like. The others were of masks as well. On the back of each was the silhouette of the singer and the band name.

"No!" Sakura stuck out her tongue and placed on her shirt. "Fair and square,"

"Uh, you're ridiculous," Ino growled, placing on her shirt. "Fine. Picture time before we go and find our seats, and let's meet back here afterwards"

"Hai!" Hinata and Sakura grinned, posing before the camera Ino was holding. After twenty or so pictures—nothing was ever perfect, and the more the better—the girls followed the signs to where their seats were, each in different sections.

It wasn't hard to find where Sakura's seat was. It was where the least people lined up. When she squeezed to her seat, she looked around. It was a few minutes until the start of the concert, and a lot of people were in the crowds.

"A Loveless fan, are you?" A girl inquired in a condescending tone. Sakura turned towards the voice- next to her- and raised her brow. The woman in question had brilliant red hair, much like the man who was friends with that Naruto guy back in the Ramen bar. It was rare to see such bright brilliant red hair.

"Got a problem?" Sakura asked, placing her hand on her hip, unwavering.

"Of course not," The red head grinned, "Just that he's mine,"

"Oh really?" Not that Sakura cared much, but she really hated when people had sour attitudes for no reason. It irked her. "I don't see you wearing a VIP pass,"

"I don't need a VIP pass, little girl," She smirked, "I'm the president of the Loveless fan club, I'm sure you've seen the websites."

Oh yeah, she did. Sakura rolled her eyes and patted the VIP pass under her shirt. She wasn't one to gloat, but a little rubbing in the face would probably make her feel better. She didn't really like being alone, it was a shame Hinata didn't have a front row ticket as well. She wondered vaguely why, only to be interrupted by the red head.

"Though I could overlook this whole incident if you join,"

"Join what?"

"The Loveless fan club!"

"Oh. No thanks," Sakura said with a smile.

The redhead scoffed then turned her attention to the person next to her, "Oh! An Uzamaki fan? Isn't he the most adorable?"

Sakura blinked in confusion. This girl, she thought, is truly a complete nut case. She felt slightly sorry for Team Kakashi and now understood why they valued their private identity so much. Being surrounded by people like the redhead must be irritating on a daily basis. You need a break now and then.

Sitting down on her chair, about 15 feet from the stage, she got comfortable and looked up to see the curtain slightly moving. Just then the crowd began to speak louder and out from the curtain came a tall man with silver hair. Thought the light obscured how he looked, she could tell he was attractive, though older then herself.

He then turned on the mic he was carrying and tapped on it. Coughing, he silently simmered the crowd down. "Without further ado," He said in monotone, "Team Kakashi,"

The crowd then went wild. The man turned off his mic and staggered off stage, like his job was the most boringest job ever.

Bringing her attention onto the stage, the lights shut off and the curtains began to part. Excitedly she bit her lip and watched in anticipation as silhouettes could be made out from the darkness. A lone one at first.

Everyone was screaming around her, and Sakura couldn't help but cheer on too. She was overwhelmed. If their music was great on the radio, imagine how it'd be in person—live. She read the reviews, they were absolutely amazing live. Wait, she didn't have to imagine. She was here. And she had VIP access.

When the stage was completely in view, she saw a total of three dark bodies, the light that was shone from the stage not showing much. And then the music began. The drums, then the keyboards—or what she assumed as such—and the lead singer, Uzamaki, began to advance forward, making the crowd stir.

As light began to show his figure, it flickered off and on to set up an ambiance that gave chills. Soon, other lights joins as the flickering ceased, but instead the many of the assorted lights swirled around in different directions, making it so you could see Team Kakashi, and also it seemed like they disappeared in the darkness.

Uzumaki was carrying a guitar, playing it while he walked to the front. An automated voice spoke from the speakers:

_La Nuit du Chasseur_

Afterwards, he began to sing,

"I was born of the womb of a poisonous spell

Beaten and broken and chased from the lair

But I rise up above it, high up above it and see

I was hung from the tree made of tongues of the weak

The branches were bones of liars and thieves

Rise up above it, high up above and see

Pray to your god, open your heart

Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark

Cover your eyes, the devil inside"

Chills ran down Sakura's spine as she watched Uzumaki play and sing dramatically, as if he were one with the music. It was like she was drawn into his world. It made her feel alive. His music; Team Kakashi's music.

When the music settled down, as the lights focused on the keyboardist, Loveless- she remembered, and music softened, she felt herself drawn completely in. Completely at their mercy.

His dark figure, even more lovelier in the flesh, though none of his flesh could be seen, quieted the crowd as he began to sing.

"Honest to God I'll break your heart

Tear you to pieces and rip you apart

Honest to God I'll break your heart

Tear you to pieces and rip you apart

Honest to God I'll break your heart

Tear you to pieces and rip you apart

Honest to God I'll break your heart

Tear you to pieces and rip you apart"

Sakura gasped. The men were like sirens. Deadly sirens. And there was no escape once you listened to them. Even though they were mainstream, regularly played on radio, and heard throughout the net, their recorded music gave no justice to their true potential. It was an exotic feeling, erotic almost, and Sakura couldn't help but cross her legs. She would get to see them backstage? Alone even? She didn't think she'd last the night, much less to the end of the concert.

It was going to be a long concert.

"One night of the hunter

One day I will get revenge

One night to remember

One day it'll all just end, oh"

Uzumaki sang the last chorus, elongating his screams at the "Ohh" making the girls squirm in their seats. Definitely a long night.

* * *

Note: Ryo is this Universe's currency, which is actually equivalent to Yen.


End file.
